This hot and sour soup is one of those recipes that punches well above its weight. It's quick, deeply flavoured, and built on a simple prawn-shell broth that delivers a surprising depth for such a short cooking time. The balance of soy, lime, and chilli is what makes it — sharp, savoury, and just enough heat to keep things interesting.

Preparing the aromatics — Casa Adora

Ingredients for Hot and Sour Soup

• 50g prawns, shell on (set aside), deveined
• 200ml chicken stock
• Handful mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Spring onion, finely chopped
• Red chilli, thinly sliced (keep a few slices back for garnish)
• Strip of lime zest
• Piece of lemongrass, roughly chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Good splash of soy sauce
• Squeeze of lime juice
• Pinch of brown sugar
• Fresh coriander

A note on the broth: don't be tempted to skip the prawn shell base. It only takes 15 minutes but it transforms a thin stock into something genuinely fragrant and flavourful. If you're using ready-peeled prawns, a good-quality fish or chicken stock works as a substitute, though the shell broth is worth the extra step.

Place the prawn shells, zest, garlic, lemon grass, and chilli in a pan. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain into a clean pan. Add soy, sugar, lime juice, and a splash of homemade ponzu sauce.
Bring to the boil, add prawns, spring onion, and mushrooms.
Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes then stir through fresh coriander and chilli before serving.

Tips and variations

This is a flexible recipe — which, as you might expect, is exactly the kind of cooking I enjoy most. You can swap the prawns for chicken strips or tofu if that's what you have to hand. Shiitake mushrooms work particularly well here, though any mushroom you have in the fridge will do the job.

If you like more heat, leave the chilli seeds in. If you prefer a milder bowl, deseed before slicing. A small dash of fish sauce alongside the soy adds another layer of umami if you have a bottle open.

A splash of homemade ponzu sauce added at the end does excellent things here — it delivers soy, citrus, and depth in one move, and keeps the brightness alive in the bowl.

This soup works well as a light starter or, with a little more stock and an extra handful of mushrooms, a satisfying lunch in its own right.

This recipe is part of my Soup Recipes collection — from chilled gazpacho to hearty broths and Asian-inspired bowls. Explore the full Soup Recipes collection.

Wonky photos, proper soup, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef.